‘The Summit Journal’s’ editor hopes to offer an independent voice in climbing media after most print publications merged Ollie Hancock/High Country News In 1955, at a time when women were not expected (or encouraged) to either climb mountains or start magazines, Jean Crenshaw and Helen Kilness started Summit Magazine. Concerned that no one would read it … Continue reading Historic Climbing Magazine Returns After Nearly 30 Years
Rocky Mountain fires leave telltale ash layers in nearby lakes like this one. Philip Higuera What the extreme fire seasons of 1910 and 2020 – and 2,500 years of forest history – tell us about the future of wildfires in the West Kyra Clark-Wolf, University of Colorado Boulder and Philip Higuera, University of Montana Strong winds … Continue reading 2,500 Years of Forest History
Welcome to my annual refresher about Backcountry Avalanche Awareness 2023/2024. I am no subject matter expert, but Stella and I are always eager to explore new terrain in search of an off-the-beaten-path adventure. Thus, when you leave the cozy confines of the groomed trails at the ski resorts/nordic centers, you must understand your environment and … Continue reading Backcountry Avalanche Awareness 2023/2024
A day fighting wildfires can require as much endurance as riding the Tour de France Ruby Mountain hotshots construct a fire line during the Dixie Fire in 2021. Joe Bradshaw/BLM Brent C. Ruby, University of Montana For three weeks in July, the world’s most elite bike racers climb steep mountains and sprint along historic cobblestones to … Continue reading Yellow Jerseys of the Fireline:
Fires are increasing in high mountain areas that rarely burned in the past. John McColgan, Bureau of Land Management, Alaska Fire Service Mohammad Reza Alizadeh, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Mojtaba Sadegh, Boise State University As wildfire risk rises in the West, wildland firefighters and officials are keeping a closer eye on the high … Continue reading Fire danger in the high mountains is intensifying: That’s bad news for humans, treacherous for the environment
California’s snowpack was more than twice the average in much of the state in early March 2023. Mario Tama/Getty Images Dan McEvoy, Desert Research Institute After three years of extreme drought, the Western U.S. is finally getting a break. Mountain ranges are covered in deep snow, and water reservoirs in many areas are filling up … Continue reading Is the Western drought finally ending? That depends on where you look
Reflection Canyon Utah taken in 2015 What comes next for Lake Powell? Craig Childs/High Country News There is the crumpling, the mess. A marina that once floated in a cove has been towed out of the shrinking lake and dropped in a field of Russian thistle, its metal pontoons partially sunk into dry, crack-crazed soil. Cooler … Continue reading Glen Canyon Revealed